Michiels Monument, Padang

Michiels was a military and administrative officer in the Dutch East Indies who had led many expeditions to subdue revolts in the region, including West Sumatra.

Among these monuments were those that commemorated: Lieutenant A.T. Raaff (the first Dutchman to fight in the hinterland of Padang (1855); Willem Hendrik de Greve (discoverer of the Ombilin coal deposits, unveiled in 1880); the Sarekat Adat Alam Minangkabau (an organization of conservative pro-Dutch Indonesians, unveiled in 1919); the jong Sumatranen Bond (a moderately nationalist movement, inaugurated in 1920); W.A.C.

Whitlau (a local administrator, the clock tower dedicated to him was built in 1922 and was demolished in 1934 because it was considered an obstacle to traffic); and Sutan Masabumi (a Minangkabau royal loyal to the Dutch cause, erected in 1930).

The monument was designed as a neogothic tower, standing on a marble base, and topped with a neo-Gothic sculpture made of iron.

The largest square in Padang, the Plein van Rome (now Lapangan Imam Bonjol) was normally used for sports and a market.